Charlotte On John Cena's Injury Being An Opportunity, Legend She Had A Crush On, Ric Flair Pairing

On episode 36 of WOOOOO! Nation with Ric Flair, WWE Divas Champion Charlotte addressed a number of topics including which professional wrestlers she liked growing up, the rationale for her father managing her on the main roster, and what John Cena's injury means for WWE.

When asked which wrestlers she was a fan of growing up, Charlotte said that she liked Sting, 'Macho Man' Randy Savage, and Dusty Rhodes. When Charlotte admitted that she had a crush on Sting, Ric pointed out that Charlotte had a crush on Randy Orton when she was in high school.

"I think Sting and Macho Man were my favorites [and] obviously Dusty was a favorite. And then, I guess my dad calls them 'crushes', I liked some of the guys when I was in high school and then I just never really thought about it in college."

According to Charlotte, Vince McMahon had the idea of pairing Ric and Charlotte on the main roster.

"I think it was Vince's idea. I think the idea was, 'what could people at home relate to?' and they can relate to a father/daughter relationship."

'Naitch' added that the rationale behind him managing Charlotte was that Charlotte struggled in her tweener role.

"I think if there was anything, that was holding [Charlotte] back was her level of comfort with being a tweener. And being a tweener is really tough. I'll give you an example of being a tweener. They put Dolph Ziggler in that position all the time. One week it's this [and] the next week it's that, and the guy has a ton of ability, I mean, more than a ton of ability, and [he is] a great guy, but every week, it changed around. And with [Charlotte], it was never a question of talent or skill or anything like that. But until you find an identity, and I'm just a temporary point, but she's a full fledged heel now."

Charlotte concurred that she was more accustomed to being a heel, as she was a heel for the majority of her NXT run. Also, her size and 'genetically superior' tagline do not make for a sympathetic babyface.

"In NXT, I was a heel for the majority of NXT television and the babyface transition just kind of happened because I had dropped the [NXT Women's Championship] title and I think the fans had kind of [grown] to respect me, so that's kind of what made me the babyface. And then, debuting me on the main roster, from where I left off on NXT, I think it was challenging for me. Don't get me wrong. I love being a babyface, but with my size, it's not that I'm so much bigger than the other girls, but I find it easier to play that more dominant role. And also, the character itself, when you're calling yourself 'genetically superior', I find that hard to be endearing."

During the podcast, Charlotte was told that Cena will be out of action till after WrestleMania 32. Charlotte claimed that Cena's injury could be an opportunity for other talents.

"You can look at it two ways. You can look at it as a big blow or you can look at it as an opportunity for a lot of young talent to step up and give them a chance. It's crazy to think The Shield, Roman [Reigns], Seth [Rollins], and [Dean] Ambrose, were at FCW when I got there. They weren't there very long, but seeing them take over and then one of my personal favorites, The Wyatts, giving them more opportunity. [Cena's injury] a huge blow, but then again, it's another opportunity. I'm trying to think of the girls as well, but with him not being there, that means you've got to build super hot feuds for WrestleMania and I can think of a couple with the girls being involved. You've got to think of a guy like Rusev too. There are just so many guys that it could open the door for."

In addition to these topics, Charlotte talked about whether she will ever wear robes like 'The Nature Boy', what it was like to grow up as Ric Flair's daughter, and much more. Click here to check out the rest of the podcast. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WOOOOO! Nation with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Source: WOOOOO! Nation with Ric Flair